Insider Trading, OKC Thunder | From PredictionStrike & Alex True

Hey everyone! Welcome to an edition of Insider Trading that I am very excited about!! The NFL season is still months away, baseball is meticulously inching along, and the heavily anticipated UFC London card is still a few days away. So what in the sports world has happened to get me so riled up? The NBA Summer League! That’s right folks, an exhibition basketball tournament, with minimal to no stakes on the line has got my investment eyes popping out of my head. The NBA draft was just mere weeks ago, and the summer league was our first chance to see the news kids on the block perform.

Savvy PredictionStrike investors know that NBA rookies have a track record of massive gains, so I for one was paying close attention to those names with potential to explode this upcoming season. Now, the NBA rookies have yet to IPO on PredictionStrike, but it’s never too early to have a game plan set for when the time comes. One team in particular that has had the Twitter verse buzzing was the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was only fitting that I reached out to one of the most in-touch content creators in the NBA today to discuss the aforementioned Thunder, Dylan Huntzinger. Now, if you’re a OKC fan, you probably know Dylan by his immensely popular Twitter account @ThunderChets, or maybe by his writing at Boomtown Sports. There is always a possibility you know his voice when he hosts the @OKCTopicThunder Podcast, and if you don’t, make sure to check it out! And if this is your first introduction to PredictionStrike, welcome! And make sure to follow @predictstrike on Twitter. Now like I said, basketball regular season doesn’t start until October, but now is the time to get the knowledge you need to make profitable investments this upcoming season. For all those OKC answers, let’s turn it over to Dylan! 

Alex: Alright Dylan! Thanks for jumping on. Let’s just go ahead and immediately address the 7’1, 190 pound elephant in the room straight away, Chet Holmgren. Before we talk stock price implications, I want to hear your thoughts on Chet and his potential this season and beyond. I was taken back when I saw a Bleacher Report asked the question, “Is he the best prospect ever?” Are we maybe getting ahead of ourselves, or should we just go ahead and add his face to the NBA Mount Rushmore?

Dylan: I love Chet, I have loved him throughout the entire draft process. That being said, I don’t think he was even the best prospect in the past couple of years! I would probably have him behind guys like Cade ($19.94), Mobley ($4.79), etc from last year's class. But as for his potential man, it’s through the roof. This season I expect him to take his bumps (literally). On the road, he might struggle with consistently getting volume for his shots like he has in the summer league. But if his potential hits, the sky’s the limit. You have a 7’1” demogorgon who moves like a guard, is comfortable shooting over guys, on the catch, and off the dribble. Combined all that with his defensive capabilities/instincts, as well as his high basketball IQ, and his dog mentality…. Chet has the potential to be a very special player.

Alex:  The moment we’ve all been waiting for. Let’s talk PredictionStrike implications. Shareholders know that NBA Rookies have great track records for success. Last year we saw Cade Cunningham go up over 240%, Scottie Barnes ($10.61) over 170%, and Jalen Green ($9.83) up almost 80%. Will Chet make an immediate impact on the NBA level, and if so, do you see a season performance that can net triple digit gains?

Dylan: It’s hard to say, a lot of those guys probably boomed because of offensive outbursts, and I don't know how many of them we can expect from Chet. With a prolific scorer like Shai ($6.98), and a budding young playmaker like Giddey ($5.91), Chet finds himself on the short end of the creating scale as a rookie. But at the same time, these are the best guards he will have ever played with, so they will definitely get him in position to make some buckets. Defensively is where Chet will hang his hat his rookie season, and maybe even throughout his career. He is a force and a deterrent at the rim, has very active hands to poke the ball away, and also has shown the ability to hold his own on switches. If defense is a factor in the boom, Chet might net four digit gains.

Alex: Sticking with the theme of rookies, let’s talk about the other draft picks OKC made a couple weeks ago. Chet is getting all the attention, rightfully so, but are there other names we should keep our eyes of for?

Dylan: Jalen Williams (J Dub… or as I affectionately call him… Santa) is the easy answer. His on-ball skills that he displayed at Santa Clara is something we haven’t gotten to see much during summer league. Instead, the guy has turned into an off-ball animal. He is such a smart cutter, and such a strong but crafty finisher. Not to mention he shot 40% from 3 in college. Dude has turned a lot of heads during the summer league, and I think has earned a spot in the rotation. Also have to shoutout Ousmane Dieng. Ous is the youngest prospect we took and one of the youngest in the draft. On defense, the dude just knows where to be. He is actively moving, and making the right rotations as well as flipping his hips, sliding his feet, and maintaining position to stay in front of his man. Offensively we have seen flashes of on dribble creation for himself and teammate, as well as a shot that does not look broken, just hasn’t been able to drop as much as we would like. Between Chet, Santa, and Ous, Thunder fans are ecstatic with this year’s rookie class.

Alex: OKC has a very young, very exciting core going into the 2022 season. One person I was very bullish on last year before injury was Josh Giddey. He has impressed in Summer League so far, and is poised for a big sophomore campaign. Can you tell me why my optimism is warranted, or should I pump the breaks a little?

Dylan: Giddey was one of the top rookies last year, and in line to be a lock as an All-Rookie 1st team selection. However, despite 4 consecutive Western Conference Rookie of the Month awards, Giddey missed every game after All-Star Break but one. Giddey hit the ground running in summer league, throwing passes most wouldn’t dare to attempt even in practice, and showcasing a strength and confidence getting to the rim that we had not seen before. Giddey looks like a much more polished player than last year’s rookie phenom, so it’s fair to say Giddey is going to have a great sophomore season. But his swing skill is shooting. If he nails that down, just look out. He missed nearly half the season in his rookie campaign, and his stock still managed to have a 52% ROI. I wouldn’t be surprised if this season doubles that return.

Alex: This article leans strongly on rookies and potential performances this upcoming season, so it’s only fitting to end on another debutant. Let’s widen our lens a little and take a look at the entire league. Non-Thunder category; name one debuting rookie who you consider a must buy when NBA IPO launches in mere weeks?

Dylan: Keegan Murray has been so good for the Kings. This is a guy I was very high on through the draft process, and had become a little bit underrated just because the Kings took him over Jaden Ivey. But Keegs is a (little) bit older than some of his peers at the top of the draft and it scared some teams off. But just watch him play basketball, the dude is a guaranteed bucket. He gets it done off the catch, off the dribble, around the rim, in the midrange, from the 3-point line, he just tears it up. He is a cerebral assassin who thinks the game at a high level and manipulates the defense to his advantage. He is a perfect fit with what the Kings are trying to build with Fox ($4.07), Sabonis ($1.55), and co. And as they push for their playoff mandate, I think Keegan could be in for a huge year.

There we have it! A plethora of OKC centric information getting us ready for IPO day. I don’t know about you, but Dylan mentioned three names that I will make sure to set money aside to ensure I have first dibs once they IPO. Make sure to follow Dylan @ThunderChats on Twitter, and check out the OKC Topic Thunder podcast. I doubt this will be the last time we hear from Dylan this season, especially if Chet produces the way some analysts think he will.

OKC is just one of the teams making headlines this off-season, and I plan on having an insider article once a week leading us into the NBA season to get us prepped for massive gains. Hit me up on Twitter @ChipsStocks if you have any team suggestions. I’ll be back later this week to discuss the highly anticipated UFC London event, headlined by Tommy Aspinall and Curtis Blaydes. And don’t forget, one of the most popular fighters on the platform, Paddy Pimblett is also on this card! Don’t miss out, and…

Happy trading,

Alex True